Kill the Creators
by AyuzawaMisa
Summary: What if... nobody in Night Raid died? Essentially rewrite of plot line, except no feels. ;-; Eventual Tatsumi x Mine, and maybe other pairings, who knows if they're still alive?
1. Chapter 1

So the new manga chapter got me really fucked up, and now I'm really mad. Fuck this manga. Fuck the anime too. So I rewrote the entire story, except none of night raid dies. Enjoy xD

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 **Chapter 1**

Tatsumi couldn't believe his luck. Well, getting his money stolen sucked, but at least he had gotten rescued, and by a rich, cute girl too.

He sighed in content as he laid on his bed, arms crossed under his head as he went over the events of the day. The capital sure was an interesting place.

Suddenly, he heard a scream outside. Instantly alert, Tatsumi grabbed his sword and silently exited his room, searching for the source of the sound.

It was then that he noticed them. The five of them, illuminated by the moon behind, standing on silken threads that stretched across the air.

Tatsumi blinked in surprise, and they were gone. Had he imagined them? Rubbing his eyes, Tatsumi looked again, but saw nothing but the shadows of the trees.

Dismissing them as figments of his imagination, Tatsumi turned down the corridor, as the girl, his savior, came running at him.

"Tatsumi!" She shouted, sounding desperate. Her eyes were wide with fear. "Help me!"

"What's going on?" Tatsumi asked, readying his sword for combat.

"They're here." She whispered, voice trembling. "We need to run."

Maybe he hadn't imagined those figures in the window. Taking his hand, she led him to a back exit, where they ran into the woods.

Tatsumi noticed a building ahead in the trees as they ran, and turned towards it. "Maybe we can hide in there!" He pointed, looking back at the girl.

She nodded mutely, obviously too terrified to speak. They broke out into a clearing, and Tatsumi headed for the building which was on the far side.

When they were halfway there, Tatsumi heard a noise behind him, and turned, raising his sword. There was a metallic clanging sound, and the girl ran, cowering behind Tatsumi.

The assailant was a girl with long black hair and crimson eyes, dressed in a black sleeveless shirt and a black skirt with a red tie. She was rather cute, except for the shining, dangerous-looking katana she wielded.

She dropped her combat stance, lowering her katana tip to the ground. "You are not one of the targets." She said, eyes narrowing. "Step aside."

Tatsumi gritted his teeth, holding his blade in front of him. "Like hell I can do that."

The girl raised her katana, maintaining a deadpan expression. "Then die." She rushed at Tatsumi with lightning speed.

Tatsumi was able to block a few strikes, but was unable to block the last thrust to his chest. _She's too good._ Accepting his fate, Tatsumi prepared for the pain.

It never came. There was a ringing sound, and Tatsumi fell down from the force of the blow, sword clattering to the side. _What? Why am I not dead?_ Tatsumi put a hand over his chest pocket, and felt something hard. _Oh yeah._ The talisman from his village elder really had saved his life.

The assassin's expression morphed to confusion for a second, but it quickly disappeared as she raised her sword for the final blow.

Tatsumi grimaced. _Nevermind._ Was this the true colors of the capital? A place where innocent people were killed? _Sayo, Ieyasu… I'm sorry._ Tatsumi closed his eyes and awaited his death.

"Wait, Akame!" A voice rang out, and Tatsumi's eyes snapped open. The assassin also turned in the direction of the sound, and a second girl appeared from the forest. She had long blonde hair, and was dressed rather skimpily, with an outfit that exposed her midriff. She wore yellow cat paws on her hands, and cat ears poked out from her hair. For some reason, she looked rather familiar to Tatsumi.

"What is it, Leone?" Akame asked, lowering her sword.

"He's not a target. Don't kill him. Yet." Leone walked up to stand by Akame. Turning to Tatsumi, she asked, "Why do you defend that girl?"

Tatsumi glared at the two of them. "She saved me, picked me up off the streets. Why do you kill innocent people?"

Leone walked by them and to the shed, breaking the lock with one punch. "Would you still say that after you see this?" The doors fell open, and Tatsumi turned to look.

His eyes widened in horror. Mutilated corpses filled the room, in different states of decay. Some were old, some were newer. And two of the newest ones looked oddly familiar. Tatsumi rushed over, tears already forming in his eyes. "SAYO! IEYASU!"

Sayo was kneeling, naked, wrists chained to a wooden plank above her head, bleeding from dozens of places. Her eyes were closed. Ieyasu was sitting against the wall next to her in a similar state.

Tatsumi knelt by the two of them, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Who did this to you two?" He whispered, heart breaking.

"She… did…" Ieyasu pointed a shaky finger at Tatsumi's savior with his last remaining strength. "She… tortured Sayo… until she died… then turned to me…" His hand dropped to the ground.

Tatsumi took Ieyasu's hand, screaming, "NO! IEYASU! DON'T LEAVE ME! YOU CAN'T DIE! I'LL GET YOU A DOCTOR!"

"I'm… afraid… it's too late…" Ieyasu slumped forward, hand slipping out of Tatsumi's.

Tatsumi stood up, backing off. "No…" Tears flowed from his eyes, creating shining rivers down his cheeks. "This can't be…"

The girl's face suddenly morphed into one of complete sadism and rage. "She was blessed with such straight and beautiful hair! It's not fair that mine is so unruly! In fact, she should be glad I took such good care of her!"

Tatsumi's vision turned red with rage. Trembling, he bent and picked up his blade.

He heard Leone sigh. "A rich family of sadists who enjoys torturing the common people. I'm sorry for stopping you, Akame. Eliminate her."

"Wait." Tatsumi stepped towards them, anger clouding his vision.

"Are you still trying to defend them?" Leone asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"No." Tatsumi stepped up to his savior, who had returned to trembling on the ground. "I'LL do it." He slashed diagonally, from one shoulder to the opposite hip, and the girl fell over, blood pooling around her.

At this time, four other figures emerged from the surrounding forest. A green-haired guy with goggles on his head, a girl with long pink hair wielding a rifle, a purple-haired girl with glasses wielding a giant pair of scissors, and a large suit of armor with a spear across its back. Leone and Akame turned as they approached.

"Heya, guys!" Leone greeted with a grin, waving. "We're done here!"

"Who's this?" The green-haired guy asked, gesturing to Tatsumi.

Leone turned to Tatsumi. Her cat ears and paws had disappeared, and her outfit had changed. Now Tatsumi realized why she had seemed so familiar. Gawking, he pointed at her. "You- you're the girl who stole all my money!"

She blinked, then broke out into laughter. "Oh yeah! I remember you! Hahaha!"

Tatsumi gritted his teeth in anger. "Hey, give me my money back, you thief."

Completely ignoring his statement, Leone walked up and rested a hand on his shoulder, smirking. "I like you. You have the makings of a real killer. Join us."

"Uh… what?" Tatsumi blinked in confusion.

"We're Night Raid." Leone explained. "We work to rid the capital of filth like these people. Join us and avenge your friends."

The green-haired guy cut in. "Of course, now that you know what we look like, we can't just let you go. We'd have to silence you." He held up a gauntlet-covered hand for emphasis.

Tatsumi deadpanned. "So basically, I don't get a choice?"

"Nope!" Leone cheered. Scooping Tatsumi up into her arms, she turned to the rest of them. "Let's go back."

"Hey!" Tatsumi's cheeks colored a little from the contact. She may have stolen his money, but she was still a female. "Put me down!"

"No can do." Leone winked at him as the six assassins travelled swiftly back to base. Tatsumi noticed her cat ears had reappeared. "Hang on, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi sighed. He was sure his life was going to change. A lot. And he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.


	2. Chapter 2

I realized with Bulat living, Tatsumi can't have Incursio, so I'll think of a new Teigu for Tatsumi to have. As a result, it might be a little weird, but I'll figure that out when it comes. Enjoy Ch. 2! :)

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 **Chapter 2**

Tatsumi sighed as he sat by the graves of his friends. After the whole ordeal, Leone had returned to the house and brought their bodies back, where they now rested in the forest.

A tear slid silently down Tatsumi's cheek as he remembered the adventures they had together, from when they left the village to when they had been separated.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by something warm and soft pressing against his back. Instantly alert, Tatsumi jumped away, face red. "Woooah! What are you trying to do?"

Leone laughed at his reaction. "Stop sulking already, it's been two days. Have you made your decision yet?"

"I-" Tatsumi started, but was cut off by Leone throwing an arm around his shoulder.

"I think you have talent for this stuff!" She poked him in the cheek, grinning. "Onee-san guarantees it!"

Tatsumi glanced to the side. "It's not about the talent or anything…"

There was a moment of silence, then Leone said enthusiastically, "Well, at any rate, I'll show you around the base today!"

She began walking, with Tatsumi in tow, ignoring his cries of protest. A large, metal building came into view, built into the side of a cliff. "By the way," Leone added as they approached. "We're in the forest about 6 miles north of the capital."

Tatsumi gawked as they got closer. "Why is it so big?! Can't people see it from far away?"

Leone laughed. "Nah, it's fine."

The first room they walked into when they entered the building was a large room with a long table in the center, and a fireplace at one end. The purple-haired girl who wielded the scissors was sitting at the table, reading a book. "This is the meeting room." Leone gestured.

The girl looked up as they entered. "Hey Leone."

"Hi Sheele." Leone greeted. Ruffling Tatsumi's hair, she said, "This guy hasn't made his decision to join yet. Shower him with some warm words for me, will ya?"

Sheele turned to Tatsumi. He gulped, not quite sure what she was going to say. "Now that you know where our base is, you'll be killed if you don't join us."

Tatsumi's jaw dropped to the floor. _Are all of them like this?_

As Sheele returned to reading her book, Leone steered Tatsumi away towards the next room with a nervous chuckle.

"That was so warm, I feel like I'm sitting in a fire." Tatsumi grumbled, doubting the length of his lifespan.

Leone laughed. "Don't worry. She's just kidding… I think. That's Sheele, by the way."

"You THINK?!" Tatsumi yelled. "I value my life, thank you very much!"

But Leone wasn't listening. They had emerged into an open training area of sorts, where a very muscly man was spinning a spear around his body.

"Woah." Tatsumi's eyes widened, admiring his technique. "He's good."

"Yep." Leone grinned. "That's Bulat."

The man stopped when he noticed the two of them and walked over, wiping away sweat with a towel. "Hey, it's Leone. And you're that guy from the other day, aren't you? How do you like the base?"

 _Wait, I've never met him. How does he know me?_ Tatsumi's confused look was obviously picked up, because Bulat laughed and explained, "I was the suit of armor, remember now?"

"Ohh." Tatsumi vaguely remembered the armored man from that day.

"Careful." Leone whispered, bending down next to Tatsumi's ear. "This guy's a homo."

"Hey." Bulat said, smiling at Tatsumi. "Don't tell him that. He'll misunderstand."

 _What._

 _What._

Tatsumi's jaw dropped in shock once again. _Is this place a gathering of weirdos?_

"Don't creep out the new guy, Bulat." Leone said with a laugh before turning to walk away. "Come on Tatsumi, let's go find the others."

Tatsumi followed Leone, glancing back to see that Bulat had returned to his training. Finding some relief in the fact that he wasn't staring after them, Tatsumi turned forward to find himself face-to-face with a short pink-haired girl. Two very long ponytails fell from either side of her head, and she wore a pink dress, the same color as her hair.

"Heeeey!" She pointed at Tatsumi, addressing Leone angrily. "Wait, Leone! Why is he inside the base?"

"Because he's one of us." Leone stated matter-of-factly.

"Not yet, is he?" The girl shouted. "He doesn't have the boss's approval yet, either!" She whipped around to face Tatsumi, sizing him up.

Tatsumi stared uncomfortably back at her, wishing she wasn't glaring at him so angrily. His prayers were answered when she huffed, turning and crossing her arms. "Not qualified at all. He won't be able to handle working with professionals like us. I can tell just by looking at his face."

For the third time that day, Tatsumi found his mouth falling open in shock and annoyance. _WHAT? IS THAT EVEN A THING?_

Leone laughed, ruffling Tatsumi's hair again. "It's okay. Mine's like that to everyone she meets."

"Hmph." Mine walked past them, heading for the meeting room.

After that encounter, Tatsumi was less than eager to meet to the rest of Night Raid, but Leone pushed him on. They exited the building, heading into the woods. "The other two should be around here somewhere." Leone said, searching the area as they walked.

Just then, they heard a voice up ahead. Tatsumi caught bits and pieces about bathing and Leone's breasts, but couldn't make out the whole thing. Leone, on the other hand, facepalmed, sighing. "That Lubbock."

As they rounded a bush, Tatsumi saw the green-haired guy from the other day sitting behind a bush, staring out at a pool in a clearing.

Leone grabbed him from behind, putting him into an armlock. "How about I break both your arms instead?"

"FUCK!" The guy screamed in surprise and pain, "I can still go on! I won't… submit!"

Tatsumi swore his jaw would break from the amount of times it was hitting the ground. _What is with these people?_

Leone turned to Tatsumi with a smile as the guy screamed profanities and colorful words. "And so… this idiot is Lubbock. You're not a girl, so you should be safe."

Tatsumi deadpanned. _Safe from what?_

Leone rose, leaving Lubbock lying on the ground, and led Tatsumi away. Tatsumi turned, trying to catch a glimpse of the poor guy. "Wait, are we just going to leave him lying there?" Tatsumi asked incredulously.

"He'll be fine." Leone waved a hand, laughing. "Last one's a pretty girl, so you can look forward to it."

"I think I've had enough already…" Tatsumi groaned, feeling a little dead inside.

They emerged onto a riverbank. The first thing Tatsumi noticed was the giant bird, the size of two or three humans, roasting over a fire. The second thing he noticed was the dark-haired girl silently sitting next to the fire, munching on a drumstick. Her katana lay on the ground next to her, reflecting the sunlight.

"Wha-!" Tatsumi recoiled in shock. "Is that an evilbird? Did she kill that by herself?!"

Leone chuckled, looking a little proud. "She may look like that, but Akame's probably the most assassin-y out of all of us."

Akame turned as they approached, tossing Leone a drumstick as well. "Hi Leone, you should eat too."

Then she turned to Tatsumi, silently judging him for a few seconds before asking, "Have you decided to join us yet?"

"No…" Tatsumi feared she was going to kill him or something. After all, she almost had twice, if Leone hadn't stopped her.

"Then you can't have any of this meat." Akame protectively shielded the meat she had in her hands, as if it was her baby.

 _I DIDN'T ASK FOR ANY!_ Tatsumi resisted the urge to shout, for fear of a katana through his heart.

"Anyway," Leone piped up, eating through her drumstick. "Why so extravagant today, Akame?"

"The boss is back." Akame said, tilting her head.

"Yo." A woman with short white hair and an eyepatch over her right eye leaned out from behind the giant bird.

Leone waved, smiling. "Yo, boss! Did you bring any souvenirs?"

Completely ignoring Leone's question, she stood up, and Tatsumi saw that she had a mechanical right arm. "Anyway, Leone… I heard that in the job a few days ago… you spent a little too much time taking your target down."

Leone froze, and her smile wavered. Without another word, she turned and ran. The boss stood up and held her mechanical arm up. Her hand shot out, attached to a thick metal coil, and grabbed Leone's shoulder, dragging her back to the camp. The girl's flailing and yelling did nothing to help her, as she was pitifully dragged back.

Tatsumi's eyes followed Leone as she slid across the floor, shock overtaking his senses for probably the hundredth time that day. _I've joined a bunch of weirdos…_

"It's not good to enjoy fighting your enemy too much. We are assassins, not warriors. We eliminate and we get out." The boss reprimanded.

"Okay, okay!" Leone shouted, trying to pry the boss's metal hand off of her. "I get it!"

She let go, and Leone stood up, dusting herself off. Then she turned to Tatsumi, seemingly having not noticed him before. "By the way, Leone, who's this guy?"

"This is Tatsumi. He has potential." Leone said, pushing Tatsumi forward. "I recommend him."

"Hm." The boss scrutinized Tatsumi for a moment before picking up her coat from the chair. "Let's meet back in the meeting room. I'd like a full mission report, and details about this guy." Turning back for a second, she added, "Oh, I'm Najenda, by the way."

*timeskip*

"So, knowing that you WON'T, in fact, be killed," Najenda cast a pointed glance towards Sheele as she said these words. "What's your final decision, Tatsumi? Would you like to join Night Raid?"

Tatsumi glanced at the ground, clenching his hands into fists. "My goal was to get into the army and become successful, so that I could save my village from poverty…"

"That's because the capital's rotten to the core." Bulat cut in from where he was leaning on the wall across the room. "To fix that, we need to uproot the problem at its core."

"Bulat was once an imperial soldier." Najenda explained. "He joined us once he learned of the capital's true colors."

Bulat smirked. "After all, our work is to weed out the corruption in the capital. Much better than working under that filth."

"Will killing people like this really help my village?" Tatsumi asked, doubtful of the intentions of Night Raid. "It might change things in the capital, but it won't affect the villages far out in the outreaches, will it?"

"It will." Najenda said, a dark smirk crossing her features. "In the south, there is an organization gathering, the Revolutionary Army. They were small, but as they grew, they created Night Raid, to be in charge of intel and assassinations of influential figures. We don't know when they're planning to strike, but when they do, we will take advantage and take down the prime minister ourselves. Then, this entire country will be sure to change."

Tatsumi's eyes widened. "Your plans… are that grand?"

"Yes." Najenda extended a hand to Tatsumi. "Now that you know that, what do you say? Will you join us and avenge your friends?"

Tatsumi looked down, conflicted. On one hand, he might not be able to return to his village at all once he entered Night Raid. On the other hand, he would be helping to achieve his goal, accomplishing what he set out to do. _If it's for the happiness of my friends and family back at the village… Mine doesn't matter._

"I'll join." Tatsumi looked up, finality in his voice and in his heart. "I'll help you rid this country of filth."

Najenda smiled, satisfied with Tatsumi's resolve. "Then it's decided. Welcome to the path of the assassin, Tatsumi."

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 **As a side note, PM me or leave a review for which pairings you would like to see, excluding Tatsumi and Mine. I'll take the most popular ones :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys, I know I'm kind of mirroring the manga for now, but don't worry, things will change soon. Enjoy Ch. 3!**

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"We got a job to assassinate someone in the city." Leone explained. Akame, Tatsumi, and Najenda sat around the table, listening. "Ogre of the capital guard, and an oil merchant named Gamal."

Najenda nodded slowly. "Go on."

"Apparently the two are working together." Leone's expression turned dark. "Gamal commits crimes, and Ogre frames someone to take the blame for him. In return, Gamal pays Ogre money to cover for him.

"The client's fiance was sentenced to death in one of these framings, and found out about this from a conversation he heard while in jail. He told her about it through a letter written before his execution."

At this point, Leone pulled out a sack of coins and plopped it on the table. "This is the payment."

Najenda leaned back in her chair, lighting a cigarette. "Did you confirm her story, Leone?"

"Yes." Leone said. "They are guilty. I watched an exchange from the attic of the merchant's shop."

"Very well." A dark look crossed Najenda's features as she leaned forward. "Night Raid will take on this request. We'll send them both to hell."

"Gamal will be easy." Leone mused. "Ogre will be difficult to deal with, though."

"Who's Ogre?" Tatsumi asked, a little confused.

"Ogre the demon." Najenda explained. "Known for his skill with the blade, hence his nickname. He usually spends his days on patrols, but he has a day off every week, which coincidentally is tomorrow. He usually spends this day drinking on Main Street."

"So we should strike tomorrow, on his day off?" Tatsumi suggested.

"Security will be tight, so it would be dangerous for someone like Akame, who has many wanted posters." Najenda said, deep in thought.

"Should we wait for the others to return from their mission then?" Akame asked.

"But we don't know when they're returning, do we?" Tatsumi interjected, slamming his hand on the table. "Just send us!"

"Oooh~" Leone smiled. "Are you saying you can take him?"

"As you are now, you stand no chance." Akame cut in, eyes narrowed.

"If we wait, more people could be losing loved ones to these two. I don't want people to experience the feeling of losing someone they love!" Tatsumi gritted his teeth in anger. "I'll take him down myself!"

There was a few seconds of pause as everyone processed Tatsumi's words. "Very well." Najenda smirked darkly. "Go kill the demon, Tatsumi."

"Well said, Tatsumi!" Leone grinned, throwing an arm around him. "You're so dedicated!"

"Gah!" Tatsumi didn't think he'd ever get used to Leone's surprise embraces.

Glancing over at Akame, he saw that she didn't look impressed at all. "Where did all this confidence come from?" She asked, turning away and crossing her arms. "You'll just end up dead this way."

"Wha-" Tatsumi recoiled at her words. _Damn it. I'll definitely make you acknowledge me!_

The next day, Leone and Tatsumi stood at the end of Main Street, right before the mission. "Well, he shouldn't be hard to find." Leone explained, raising a hand to her left eye. "His left eye's been taken out. It's an ugly scar. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it."

"Alright." Tatsumi nodded to show he understood.

Leone gave him a thumbs-up and a grin. "Yep! I'm off to deal with the oil merchant. Good hunting!"

"Yea!" Tatsumi waved a goodbye before heading down the street. To say he was excited was a bit of an understatement. It was his first mission, and adrenaline coursed through his veins. Tatsumi couldn't wait to show Akame and everyone else that he was capable.

It took a bit of searching, but Tatsumi did eventually find Ogre in one of the bars. Leone was right; his left eye had been slashed out by something, leaving only an ugly star-shaped scar. Flipping his hood on and making sure his blade was hidden beneath his cloak, Tatsumi approached the man, trying to look as unintimidating as possible.

"Um… Ogre-sama?" He glanced up at the taller man, who had turned to see who was addressing him. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

"What is it, then? Spit it out." Ogre demanded, sounding annoyed.

Tatsumi pretended to look around furtively, before saying, "It's embarrassing to say it here. Could we go to a more private place?"

Ogre snorted in annoyance but led Tatsumi out through the back of the bar to a deserted alleyway. "Can you say it here?" Ogre asked, sounding impatient. "This place is fine, right?"

Tatsumi breathed in deeply in preparation. _Sayo… Ieyasu… lend me your strength!_ He kneeled on the ground, forehead touching the stone blocks. "Please! Let me into the capital defense force! I need to make some money to send to my village!"

Ogre sighed deeply, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Turning, he waved a hand. "Then apply through the normal process. I will not make any exceptions for those too weak to pass the entrance test."

"But in these times, it's rather hard to get in, don't you agree?" Tatsumi said to keep Ogre distracted as he silently drew his sword.

Ogre stopped, turning his head slightly. "Did you fail the entrance test?"

Without responding, Tatsumi dashed forward, delivering a cut to Ogre's midriff. Blood gushed from the wound, and he fell.

Glancing backwards, Tatsumi felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. "I… did it." He smiled to himself, turning and beginning to walk away. "See, Akame?"

The first sign Tatsumi received that something was off was the sound of boots crunching over stone. Quickly drawing his sword, Tatsumi whirled and raised it, just in time to block a ferocious blow from Ogre that would've definitely cut him in two.

The impact from the collision sent Tatsumi skidding backwards several feet, where he gasped, trying to recover.

"Did you really think you could defeat me?" Ogre's face was twisted in anger. "Me, the demon, defeated by some pathetic little shit like you? The weak don't matter in this city. Only the strong can survive. Someone like you cannot match up with me."

"We shall see." Tatsumi clenched his teeth, rushing at Ogre and striking horizontally. The guard captain blocked with a vertical slash, knocking Tatsumi down.

As their blades grinded against each other, Ogre grinned down at him. "I see now. You're a part of that Night Raid, aren't you? Who hired you to kill me, hm?"

 _Fuck._ Tatsumi pushed against Ogre's blade with all his strength, knowing he would die if he faltered.

"Was it the fiance of that guy we executed the other day?" Ogre continued to talk, laughing maniacally. "I knew I should've killed her too. It's not too late, though. I'll find her and arrest her entire family as criminals. Then I'll execute them all!"

 _He's distracted by his words!_ Tatsumi saw an opportunity, and took it. Angling his blade, he slid it down Ogre's until he reached the hilt, upon which he flicked his sword upwards, taking off both of Ogre's hands.

"Wha-" Ogre's train of thought was broken, and he stood dumbfounded as he watched his hands and his sword fall to the ground.

Tatsumi rose, anger coursing through his veins. "You're just like the others. Drunk on power, doing whatever you want. I live to eliminate trash like you."

Dashing forward, he slashed through Ogre's chest, and the man fell to the ground, blood pooling around him.

Tatsumi swung his sword towards the ground, splattering the blood coating his blade onto the stone tiles, before sheathing it and heading off to find Leone and Akame.

When they returned to base, the sky was getting dark, and Najenda greeted them in the meeting room. "As you're all here in one piece, I'd assume it went well."

"Yep!" Leone gave her a thumbs up.

Tatsumi turned to Akame with a triumphant grin, quite proud of his work. "See, Akame? I did my job and finished the report. Now you have to acknowle-"

He was cut off when Akame rushed across the room and pulled his shirt off over his head. _Huh?_ When it registered in his brain what had happened, his cheeks flushed crimson. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

"Leone, get his pants!" Akame commanded as she held his arms still.

"Ooh, this seems fun." Leone giggled as she complied with Akame's request.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Tatsumi ripped his arms away from Akame and covered himself as best as possible, feeling violated.

Akame studied him for a moment, then breathed a sigh of relief. "I've seen people die because of wounds they were too prideful to report. But you seem to be undamaged. Thank goodness."

"Huh?" Tatsumi froze, glancing up at the girl.

"You did well for your first mission." Akame said, smiling warmly.

"You know," Leone cut in, "Akame was really hoping you'd live. She'd have been lonely."

"Oh… uh… really?" Tatsumi laughed nervously, blushing and turning back to Akame. "Sorry, Akame… I misunderstood."

"It's okay." Akame brushed it off, offering her hand. "Just continue coming back alive, Tatsumi."

Tatsumi clasped her hand in a handshake, grinning. "Yea. Please guide me, Akame."

Their bonding moment was broken when Leone snickered. "I wonder what his intentions are saying that while almost naked."

Tatsumi whirled, pointing at her accusingly. "HEY! YOU GUYS STRIPPED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Leone laughed as Tatsumi dressed himself, grumbling in annoyance.

"Okay…" Najenda said when they were finished. "You'll be working with Mine next, Tatsumi. I hope you're ready."

Tatsumi's jaw dropped, horror filling him. He could already imagine Mine yelling at him for the smallest things, which made him already begin to dread the coming days. "I... have to work with HER?!"

*somewhere halfway across the continent*

"I just felt a chill run down my spine." Mine frowned in confusion, looking around, but finding nothing out of the ordinary.


End file.
